7/30/2019 tmb_iwa

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7/30/2019 tmb_iwa

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ISO’s International Workshop Agreements (IWAs)

What is an IWA?An IWA is an ISO document produced through a workshop meeting rather than through the full ISOtechnical committee process. Market players and other stakeholders directly participate indeveloping an IWA and do not have to go through a national delegation.

What subjects do they cover?An IWA can be produced on any subject

Why should I choose the IWA?An IWA will:

• Involve the main players from your target sector (public or private) and allow a sector todevelop clear rules on an issue.

• Give visibility to your professional practices or reference documents (ISO is a highlyrecognized international body).

• Help you shape the future direction of the subject and influence any future ISO standard.• Allow you to develop relationships within a profession or sector.• Create understanding and co-ordination amongst your various stakeholders.• Share best practice in a sector.• Improve quality and interoperability.• Lead to worldwide visibility due to ISO members’ distribution networks.• Help you to develop a members-only forum to communicate using, for example, a dedicated

Web site..

Who will be involved?Anyone can propose an IWA and anyone can participate in developing one. An ISO member bodywill be assigned to help you organize and run the workshop. This gives the project credibility byensuring that the basic principles of international standardization (transparency, fairness andconsensus) are applied.

How much will it cost? There are different ways of financing the costs of the IWA – in particular the workshop meeting(s).In some cases, the participants are charged a fee to attend; in others, a charge is made for theresulting document. You can also cover the costs yourself as an organization. Whatever themechanism, the costs can be decided by you and the ISO member body that acts as yoursecretariat.

How do I start? The process of developing an IWA is detailed on the preceding page in five-steps. To start, you canapproach ISO/CS or an ISO member body for an informal discussion of your proposal.

• E-mail tmb@iso.org to contact ISO Central Secretariat directly, or click on the URL below tofind an ISO member body http://www.iso.org/isomembers